Privacy Policy.

CCCS of Northeastern PA, Inc., is committed to assuring the privacy of individuals and/or families who have contacted us for assistance. We assure you that all information shared both orally and in writing will be managed within legal and ethical considerations. Your “personal financial information” such as your total debt information, income, living expenses and personal information concerning your financial circumstances, will be provided to creditors and possibly others with your specific authorization.

We may also use aggregated case file information for the purpose of evaluating our services, gathering valuable research information and designing future programs. Your anonymity will be maintained through the use of your client number or by using aggregate data in all circumstances.

NOTICE:

Advantage CCS is Pennsylvania’s largest credit counseling and debt management agency. CCCS of NEPA will continue to be a trusted community partner in central and northeastern Pennsylvania. The joined agencies will both continue to offer credit counseling, debt management, housing counseling, as well as bankruptcy counseling and bankruptcy education services.

Founded in 1968, Advantage CCS is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with multiple office locations across the state. Advantage CCS is a Non-Profit credit counseling agency that is accredited and licensed. We are proud members of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) and accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA).

Please read about Advantage CCS’s Privacy Policy below:

FACTS

WHAT DOES ADVANTAGE CREDIT COUNSELING SERVICE, INC. (“ACCS”) DO WITH YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION?

Why?

Financial companies choose how they share your personal information. Federal law gives consumers the right to limit some but not all sharing. Federal law also requires us to tell you how we collect, share, and protect your personal information. Please read this notice carefully to understand what we do.

What?

The types of personal information we collect and share depend on the product or service you have with us. This information can include:

Social Security number and income

Assets and credit card or other debt

Account balances and credit scores

How?

All financial companies need to share customers’ personal information to run their everyday business. In the section below, we list the reasons financial companies can share their customers’ personal information; the reasons Advantage Credit Counseling Service, Inc. chooses to share; and whether you can limit this sharing.

Reasons we can share your personal information

Does ACCS Share?

Can you limit this sharing?

For our everyday business purposes – such as to process your transactions, maintain your account(s), respond to court orders and legal investigations, or report to credit bureaus

Yes

No

For our marketing purposes – to offer our products and services to you

Yes

No

For joint marketing with other financial companies

Yes

Yes

For our affiliates’ everyday business purposes – information about your transactions and experiences

If you are a new customer, we can begin sharing your information 30 days from the date we sent this notice. When you are no longer our customer, we continue to share your information as described in this notice.

Advantage Credit Counseling Service, Inc. (a list of the Agency’s doing business as names appears following the “Other important information” box below)

How does ACCS protect my personal information?

To protect your personal information from unauthorized access and use, we use security measures that comply with federal law. These measures include computer safeguards and secured files and buildings.On our website, we may gather data from “cookies” or other technologies, which data is also similarly protected.

How does ACCS collect my personal information?

We collect your personal information, for example, when you:

Give us your contact information or open an account

Give us your income information or provide employment information

Tell us who receives the money

We also collect your personal information from others, such as credit bureaus, in order to provide our services to you as you request.

Why can’t I limit all sharing?

Federal law gives you the right to limit only:

sharing for affiliates’ everyday business purposes-information about your creditworthiness

affiliates from using your information to market to you

sharing for nonaffiliates to market to you

State laws and individual companies may give you additional rights to limit sharing. See below for more on your rights under state law.

Definitions

Affiliates

Companies related by common ownership or control. They can be financial and nonfinancial companies.

ACCS has no affiliates.

Nonaffiliates

Companies not related by common ownership or control. They can be financial and nonfinancial companies.

Nonaffiliates we share with include, but are not limited to, your creditors and entities that fund and manage grants related to providing our services to you.

Joint Marketing

A formal agreement between nonaffiliated financial companies that together market financial products or services to you.

ACCS does business as: Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Western Pennsylvania, Consumer Credit Counseling Service of York, Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Greater Harrisburg, Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Carlisle, and Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Northwestern Pennsylvania

Debt Management Tips

Act your own wage!

Deposit part of your income into a savings account to meet emergency expenses.

Keep an accurate record of your cash flow and expenses in order to stick to your plan.

Make the budget a family project. Everyone must be involved in order for it to work.

Make your spending habits consistent. Large expenses should be pro-rated over a period of time.

No more than 25% of your monthly income should go towards installment debt – credit cards, loans, car payments, etc.

Refrain from using your credit to subsidize your income.

Review your statements regularly from your creditors while on the DMP. Report any unusual fees or activity to CCCS Operations Department, and send a copy of each of your statements every three months for official review.